US officials insist that they have intelligence information that al Qaeda is still operating in Iran. This contradicts the Iranian government announcements. This is probably because the Islamic conservatives in Iran run their own military and terrorist organizations independent of the Iranian government. Everyone in Iran denies that this goes on, but there is ample evidence otherwise.

Evidence grows that Iran is trying to produce nuclear weapons. The Islamic conservatives have openly discussed the desirability of having nuclear weapons. Apparently even the Russians are alarmed, and are backing away from how much nuclear plant technology they will provide for Iran.